Surgical treatment for Chiari Malformation

If a patient meets the criteria for surgery then the most common operation is posterior fossa decompression with laminectomy at either C1 or C2 depending on the depth of cerebellar tonsillar herniation. Based upon my experience and training I usually will perform a dural patch graft to reestablish the normal pathway of cerebrospinal fluid, and allow more room for the decompression.